Subject: PAPI PA Supreme Court Committee Hearing from 2/13/01 Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 16:44:51 EST From: Pghdads@aol.com Reply-To: papi@abs-comptech.com To: papi@abs-comptech.com The following is the announcement from the Supreme Court of PA with my testimony attached. My testimony is in Word 2000. Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in The Justice System to Host Feb. 13 Public Hearing in Harrisburg PITTSBURGH, Feb 7, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System will hold a public hearing from 1 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13 in room 205 of the Matthew J. Ryan Legislative Office Building at the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA to gather data on issues to be explored by the Committee. All users of the state court system, including attorneys, court employees, judges, jurors, witnesses and parties are encouraged to attend and testify at the hearing. Established in October of 1999, the Committee is conducting a study of whether race, ethnicity or gender plays a role in the treatment of individuals in the Pennsylvania state court system. The committee, chaired by Nicholas P. Cafardi, professor and dean of the Duquesne University School of Law, will present its findings and recommendations to the Supreme Court after completing its study. "The justice system must foster the perception among all participants that it is engaged in a continuing pursuit of equal justice under the law," explains Cafardi. "This committee is committed to producing a comprehensive and well-supported report that examines and addresses the question of whether all participants in the justice system receive equal justice." Areas identified for the Committee's study include: -- Courtroom Interaction (between judges, attorneys, litigants, criminal defendants and court personnel) -- Court Personnel and Employment Practices -- Appointments by Judges -- Special Issues in Criminal Justice (quality of representation, sentencing, capital cases and juvenile justice) -- Intersection of Race and Gender (women of color) -- Special Issues Relating to Juries (county selection process, individual juror selection process, jurors' perceptions) -- Special Issues Relating to Litigants (sexual assault litigants, domestic violence litigants, Pro Se litigants, non-English speaking litigants, tort suit litigants) -- Special Issues in Family Law (divorce, adoption, custody, dependency, support, domestic violence) Confirmed speakers for the Feb. 13 hearing include: -- State legislators (Hon. Lita Indzel Cohen, Harold James, Babette Josephs, Ronald Waters and LeAnna Washington) -- Homer Floyd, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission -- Ted Darcus, executive director, PA African-American Affairs Commission -- Sharon Lopez, senior attorney, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence -- Robert Chuk, York County Court Administrator -- Christine Howard, director of Language Line Services -- Ho Thanh Nguyen, executive director of the Harrisburg YWCA -- Dan Elby, chair, Subcommittee on Disproportional Minority Confinement, PA Juvenile Advisory Commission -- Diana Rivera O'Bryant, director, Human Relations Commission, Reading, PA -- Kevin Sheahen, National Congress of Fathers and Children -- John Greene, Sheriff of Philadelphia County -- Deb Donahue, director of Domestic Violence Services, Cumberland and Perry Counties People and organizations interested in testifying or submitting written comments, or seeking more information, can call Lisette M. McCormick, Esq., Executive Director of the Committee, at (412) 396- 6288. SOURCE Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System CONTACT: Rose Ravasio, 412-396-6051, or fax, 412-396-5779, or ravasio@duq.edu Kevin Sheahen NCFC Pittsburgh PA Chapter President 37 Seneca Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241 412-854-4799 fax 835-1362 Lisette McCormick 1r3.doc Name: Lisette McCormick 1r3.doc Type: Download File (application/msword) Encoding: base64